Greek Beef Stifado (Cinnamon-and-Vinegar Beef Stew)

About This Recipe

Stifado is the great Greek winter stew and the most distinctive of Greece's braised meat dishes. Beef (or rabbit, the original) is browned and slow-braised in red wine, tomato, and a generous quantity of small whole pearl onions — which never melt away but stay whole and sweet, soaking up the dark, fragrant sauce. The signature flavor comes from the spice profile: a stick of cinnamon, several allspice berries, a few cloves, bay leaves, and a final splash of red-wine vinegar that gives stifado its faint, vital tang. It is a dish of Lent (in lighter rabbit and octopus versions) and of Christmas and Easter when made with beef, served in deep bowls with crusty bread, a piece of feta on the side, and a glass of robust red wine. The depth of flavor comes only from time — there is no shortcut.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.2 kgbeef shin or chuck, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 800 gsmall pearl onions or shallots (about 30–40 small onions), peeled
• 60 mlextra-virgin olive oil
• 6 clovesgarlic, whole, lightly crushed
• 3 tbsptomato paste
• 1 cangood chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 300 mlrobust red wine (Agiorgitiko, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Sangiovese)
• 60 mlgood red-wine vinegar
• 1 stickcinnamon (5 cm)
• 6 berriesallspice, whole
• 4 wholecloves
• 3 leavesbay
• 2 sprigsfresh rosemary
• 1.5 tspfine salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsugar (helps caramelize onions)
• 300 mlbeef stock or water
• 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped, to finish

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the pearl onions

   Drop the pearl onions into boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer to ice water — the skins will slip off easily. Trim the root ends only minimally so the onions stay whole during the long braise.

2. 2

   Brown the beef

   Pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over high. Brown the beef in 2 batches, 4 minutes per side per batch, until deeply colored. Remove and reserve.

3. 3

   Sweat the onions

   Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the peeled pearl onions. Cook 8–10 minutes, rolling them around gently, until they are golden on multiple sides. Sprinkle with the 1 tsp sugar in the last 2 minutes for extra caramelization.

4. 4

   Add garlic and tomato

   Add the garlic cloves and tomato paste; cook 3 minutes until the paste darkens. Pour in the wine and let it bubble hard for 4 minutes to cook out the alcohol.

5. 5

   Build the braise

   Stir in the chopped tomatoes, vinegar, beef stock, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, bay, rosemary, and salt. Return the browned beef. Bring to a simmer.

6. 6

   Slow-braise

   Cover tightly and either transfer to a 150°C oven or keep on the stove on the lowest possible heat. Braise 2.5 hours undisturbed.

   Resist the urge to stir — the onions should stay whole, not break up. Gently push the meat back under the sauce only if it surfaces.

7. 7

   Check and reduce

   After 2.5 hours, the beef should be fork-tender and the onions glossy and still whole. If the sauce is too thin, uncover and simmer 15 more minutes; if too thick, add 100 ml stock.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Rest covered 15 minutes off the heat to settle. Scatter with parsley and serve in deep bowls with bread, feta, and the same red wine you cooked with.

Variations

• •

  Rabbit stifado (kounelli stifado): the original form, using a whole rabbit jointed into pieces. Reduce braise time to 90 minutes.

• •

  Octopus stifado: a Lenten favorite, with cleaned octopus replacing meat. The octopus self-tenderizes in its own juice over 90 minutes.

• •

  Pork stifado: cubes of pork shoulder substitute well; braise 2 hours.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Stifado freezes beautifully for up to 2 months — thaw overnight and warm slowly.

Frequently Asked Questions